The objective of our inspection was to assess the Department’s plans and procedures for returning employees to the Federal office in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, including what existing guidance the Department considered when developing its plans and procedures.
The Department generally incorporated available guidance in its Workplace Reconstitution Transition Plan (Reconstitution Plan). The Department developed a Reconstitution Plan that is based on White House guidelines and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance. The Department’s Reconstitution Plan, along with a Reconstitution Plan Frequently Asked Questions (document, incorporates practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). However, we noted that the Department’s Reconstitution Plan did not address anti-retaliation as recommended in OSHA guidance. In addition, we found that the Department did not periodically reassess and update self-screening questions as necessary in its Reconstitution Plan as suggested by OMB.
We made two recommendations: (1) that the Department update its Reconstitution Plan to address anti-retaliation, including practices for ensuring that no adverse or retaliatory action is taken against an employee who adheres to guidelines or raises workplace safety and health concerns; and (2) that the Department reassess self-screening questions and update the information in the Reconstitution Plan as necessary, or include a link in the self-assessment section of the Reconstitution Plan to the relevant CDC guidance for employees to access and reference.
Implementing Pandemic Relief Laws
See our Pandemic Relief page for more on our work in this area.